Christmas Stollen Scones

Inspired by the German origin of Nutcracker dolls, we decided to bring you a Christmas Stollen Scones recipe – a scone version of the traditional, fruity bread eaten in Germany at Christmas time. Nutcracker dolls are an undeniable symbol of Christmas. Though carved nutcrackers have taken many shapes since their earliest days in the 13th or 14th century, the soldier and king nutcracker dolls we know today originated in Germany in the early 1800s. Christmas Stollen Scones are an easy scone to make for any teatime, or for your Christmas morning breakfast. Pair these delightful scones with a strong cup of hot black tea such as our house-blended English Breakfast (as it most closely resembles the black tea popular in Germany). Add a touch of heavy cream and a brown sugar cube for an even more decadent Christmas treat in the German style.

Christmas Stollen Scones

Makes 8 large, or 16 small scones

Ingredients:

• ¹/₂ cup dried pineapple, chopped small
• ¹/₂ cup raisins (dried cranberries)
• ¹/₂ cup dried cherries, chopped small
• 2 Tbsp. rum
• 2 ¹/₂ cups all-purpose flour
• 6 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ³/₄ tsp. salt
• 4 oz (1 stick) cold butter, cubed
• ¹/₂ cup whole milk
• ¹/₂ cup cream
• ¹/₂ tsp. vanilla extract
• ¹/₂ tsp. almond extract
• 2 tsp. orange zest
• Melted butter and powdered sugar for garnish

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F; line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine chopped dried pineapple, raisins, and chopped dried cherries in a bowl and pour the rum over them. Allow to sit while you do the rest of the steps. For a non-alcoholic version, soak the fruit in your favorite tea or juice.
3. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
4. Cut the cubed butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or using two butter knives until it looks like coarse meal.
5. Whisk together the milk, cream, vanilla, almond extract, and orange zest.
6. Gently stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture until the dough just starts to come together.
7. Add the fruit and rum into the dough and gently fold them in until they are well distributed.
8. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll or press the dough out to a circle about 7 to 8 inches in diameter and ¾ inch thick. Cut the circle of dough into 8 equal wedges. For smaller scones, divide the dough in half and make two smaller discs, cutting each into 8 smaller scones.
9. Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet and bake until puffed and light golden brown on top and bottom, about 14 to 16 minutes (10 minutes for small scones).
10. Cool for 10 minutes, then brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle generously with powdered sugar. Serve with your favorite tea.

Enjoy!